Dr. Michael LaSala is the Director of the DSW program and an Associate Professor at the School of Social Work at Rutgers University. His research and clinical interests are the couple and family relationships of gay men and lesbians. Dr. LaSala has published extensively in peer-reviewed professional journals, and his current work examines the role of gay and lesbian family relationships in coping with stigma, ethical practice with LGBTQ populations, as well as the parental influence on gay youth's safe sex behaviors. He is the author of Coming out, coming home: Helping families adjust to a gay or lesbian child which describes the findings and practice implications of a National Institute of Mental Health-funded qualitative study of 65 gay and lesbian youth and their families. Dr. LaSala has been practicing social work for over 30 years at the direct practice, supervisory, and administrative levels and continues to practice part-time as a licensed clinical social worker at the Institute for Personal Growth in Highland Park, New Jersey.